Emotions and Stress

Question 1

_______ is adaptive processes that maintain the body’s stability during times of stress.

Answer 1

allostasis

Question 2

______ theory attributes the experience of emotion to physiological arousal followed by assigning a cognitive label to that arousal.

Answer 2

Schachter and Singer’s two-factor

Question 3

A psychology undergraduate tells his roommate who’s depressed that, if he smiles more often, he’ll feel a lot better. The student’s suggestion is consistent with the predictions of which theory?

Answer 3

James-Lange

Question 4

Damage to certain areas of the left (dominant) hemisphere are most likely to cause:

Answer 4

a catastrophic reaction

Question 5

Which theory proposes that defensive behavioral reactions and the conscious feeling of fear are separate consequences of threat detection that are mediated by different but interacting systems?

Answer 5

LeDoux’s two-system theory

Question 6

According to Lazarus’s (1991) cognitive appraisal theory, secondary appraisal involves:

Answer 6

considering what coping options are available for dealing with a stressful event

Question 7

What are the 5 theories of emotion?

Answer 7

1) James-Lange Theory
2) Cannon-Bard Theory
3) Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory
4) Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory
5) LeDoux’s Two-System Theory

Question 8

What does James-Lange Theory propose?

Answer 8

• that exposure to an emotionally salient stimulus causes a physiological reaction, which in turn, is perceived as an emotion

Question 9

What does the facial feedback hypothesis predict?

Answer 9

• that facial expressions associated with specific emotions initiate physiological changes that are consistent with those emotions
• mimicking a facial expression that’s associated with a specific emotion causes us to experience that emotion

Question 10

What does Cannon-Bard Theory propose?

Answer 10

• that the experience of an emotion and physiological arousal occur together when an environmental stimulus causes the thalamus to simultaneously send signals to the cerebral cortex and the sympathetic nervous system

Question 11

Difference between James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories

Answer 11

• Cannon-Bard views all emotions as involving similar physiological arousal and contends that, for this reason, differences in emotional reactions CANNOT be attributed to differences in the nature of physiological arousal

Question 12

What does Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory propose?

Answer 12

(aka cognitive arousal theory)
- that emotion is the result of physiological arousal followed by an attribution (“cognitive label”) for that arousal

Question 13

Difference between Cannon-Bard Theory and Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory?

Answer 13

• Schachter and Singer’s theory proposes that differences in the experience of emotion are due to differences in the attributions for the arousal, which depend on external cues

Question 14

Describe Schachter and Singer’s research supporting their Two-Factor Theory and it’s results.

Answer 14

• “epinephrine studies”
• subjects experiencing unexplained arousal looked to the environment to determine what emotions they were experiencing
• RESULTS: misattribution of arousal - the tendency to mislabel arousal when its cause is unknown or ambiguous

Question 15

Studies on two-factor theory also led to Zillman’s (1971) ___(A)___, which is often erroneously described as being synonymous with misattribution of arousal.

Answer 15

(A) excitation transfer theory

Question 16

What is Zillman’s excitation transfer theory?

Answer 16

• an explanation of how physical arousal elicited by one event can be transferred to and intensify arousal elicited by a later unrelated event

Question 17

What are the 3 assumptions of excitation transfer theory?

Answer 17

1) physical arousal associated with emotions decays slowly and can continue for some time following the event that elicited arousal
2) residual arousal caused by one event can intensify arousal caused by a subsequent unrelated event

Question 18

What does Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory propose?

Answer 18

• that differences in emotional reactions to events are due to different appraisals of those events
• two people can experience the same event but respond with different emotions bc they appraise the situation differently.

Question 19

Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory assumes that physiological arousal _____ cognitive appraisal.

Answer 19

follows

Question 20

What are the 3 types of appraisal in Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory?

Answer 20

1) primary appraisal
2) secondary appraisal
3) reappraisal

Question 21

Primary appraisal in Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory involves…?

Answer 21

evaluating an event to determine if it’s irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful
- stressful events = threat, challenge, or harm/loss

Question 22

Primary appraisal in Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory is affected by what factors?

Answer 22

• beliefs
• values
• motivation
• expectations

Question 23

Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory assumes that during a stressful event, secondary appraisal involves…?

Answer 23

identifying one’s coping options AND the likelihood that the options will adequately deal with the event

Question 24

Reappraisal in Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory occurs when…?

Answer 24

a person monitors a stressful situation and changes their primary and/or secondary appraisal as appropriate

Question 25

LeDoux’s Two-System Theory focuses on ____?

Answer 25

fear

Question 26

LeDoux’s Two-System Theory view physiological, behavioral, and feeling aspects of fear as being driven by a(n) ___(A)___ that is mediated by ___(B)___ regions of the brain.

Answer 26

(A) “fear system”
(B) subcortical

Question 27

What are the 2 separate but interacting systems and what is their role in LeDoux’s Two-System Theory? What brain areas do each system activate?

Answer 27

1) subcortical system (“survival system”) - LOW ROAD; reacts quickly and automatically to threatening sensory info
- amygdala
2) cortical system (“conscious emotional system”) - HIGH ROAD; processes info from senses, subcortical system, and episodic & semantic memory using cognitive processes (e.g., attention, working memory, and decision-making) and generates conscious feeling of fear when feeling is warranted and threat is real.
- visual cortex, prefrontal cortex, and parietal cortex

Question 28

What brain areas does the Papez circuit consist of?

Answer 28

• hippocampus
• mamillary bodies
• thalamus
• cingulate gyrus

Question 29

Subsequent research on the brain mechanisms that mediate emotion found that the Papez circuit is involved more with ___(A)___ than ___(B)___.

Answer 29

(A) memory
(B) emotion